Alter-Ego Command Group (~a): Your AI Project Environment
The ~a command group centers around Alter-Egos, which represent your project contexts and environment stacks. An Alter-Ego defines a complete AI environment that you create and control, acting as the “anchor” for your work.
What is an Alter-Ego?
It is a container (Slot Type: ALTER-EGO) representing a specific AI workspace or project. Each Alter-Ego includes a collection of user slots—the building blocks of your AI environment:
- Assistants: Specialized functional expert systems tailored for particular tasks.
- Custom Data Files: User-defined knowledge bases or datasets.
- Patches: Temporary modifications or extensions to existing assistants or workflows.
How it works:
When you activate an Alter-Ego, VAPA loads the configured stack of assistants, data files, and patches associated with it. This allows you to switch contexts seamlessly between projects, each with its own tailored AI behavior and resources, while maintaining a clear separation of concerns.
Session State Management:
While you work within an Alter-Ego, the Session Manager (C12) tracks your active stack and resolves conflicts. You can save your current session state as a snapshot, preserving your context. This allows you to work on multiple sessions under the same Alter-Ego without mixing contexts, deciding when to commit permanent changes using the Builder commands (~v).
~a Command Structure
| Command | Name | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
~a <id> | Activate Slot | Loads a specific Alter-Ego or Slot by its machine-safe ID. | ~a project_alpha_ae |
~a off | Unload | Unloads the current Alter-Ego/Slot and returns to VAPA defaults. | ~a off |
~ax data | Data Snapshot | Saves a snapshot of the current user work data. | ~ax data |
~ax stack | Stack Snapshot | Saves a snapshot of the current settings and slot stack (C4 state). | ~ax stack |
Examples of Use:
~a research_pro— Switches the environment to the “Research Pro” project stack.~a off— Clears the active project persona to prevent “memory sludge” between tasks.~ax stack— Preserves the current combination of loaded assistants and custom settings for later restoration.